Driven By Vengeance
by TheFrankMaster
Summary: Special Agents Mulder and Scully have been assigned to investigate several unexplained murders surrounded by a destructive trail. Whereas Mulder's theory involves telekinetic powers, Scully believes the culprit to be nothing more than accidents. However, it would seem that this time, the truth goes much deeper than either of them expected.
1. A solid wall

_Chapter one: A solid wall_

A 19-year-old guy called Jason walked down the street, chuckling. Less than a minute ago, he was having a drink in a bar with his friends. They had been joking around, until a random guy told them to shut up. Since it was already nearing midnight, the guys decided to leave for their respective homes. Brad had made one last quick joke before they all departed, and it was still echoing in Jason's mind.

"Those jokes you make, Brad…" Jason quietly chuckled.

Then, something happened: a figure ran by, stealing Jason's keys from his pocket in the process. With a speed the young man could barely comprehend, the figure turned to his right and ran down a small alleyway. Jason, whose reactivity had degraded slightly because of the beer he drank, shouted and ran after the figure.

"Come back here, asshole!" he yelled as he ran his ass off, trying to catch this person, get his keys back and report this sonofabitch to the cops.

The alleyway ended soon enough. However, something wasn't right. Despite the absence of any ladders, drainpipes or anything of the sort, the figure was nowhere to be seen. How was that possible? Even with their speed, they couldn't have slipped past him, could they? This place was too narrow for that.

Unable to do anything else here, Jason decided to head back. He turned back to where he came from…

…only to walk against… a solid wall?

How? Mere seconds ago, he just walked – or ran, rather – through that alleyway without any trouble. Where did this wall come from? It seemed to be connected to the houses on Jason's side, as if it had always been there. It was even made of the same material: bricks and cement.

Then, something else happened: the wall of the house on Jason's left slowly began to move towards the wall on his right. The 19-year-old gasped; he was about to get crushed! He attempted to scream, but something seemed to block his throat, only letting a raspy whisper pass.

He could not even make a sound when the two walls were mere millimeters from him without stopping. The young man silently cried in agony as the walls mercilessly crushed him.

The last thing he saw before he died was a face, looking at him maliciously from the roof of one of the houses.


	2. A new case

_Chapter two: A new case_

Special Agent Fox Mulder of the FBI was studying a dead body in an alleyway. He had heard of another unsolved case somewhere in Virginia; a young man called Jason Valdez seemed to have been squished to death and hidden in the very alley Mulder currently found himself in. The crime scene was crawling with police officers of the local PD.

Mulder knew what was going on at the moment he saw the body in that specific location and position: the houses on the sides of the alley must have had something to do with it. Telekinesis was the first thought that came to Mulder's mind.

The Special Agent's attention was moved to the sound of a car approaching. The man stood up and left the alleyway to meet his FBI partner: Special Agent Dana Scully.

"What's going on here, Mulder?" Scully asked. Her voice betrayed her tiredness, and her face wasn't telling a different story.

"Bad night sleep, Scully?" Mulder asked. "If you're too tired to give your opinion about a guy who appears to have been squashed to death by a relentless force, be quick about it so you can go home."

Scully gave an annoyed sigh. Mulder and his lack of patience… when it was about ghosts, aliens or unicorns he was all but _unstoppable_.

"Fine," she eventually said. "Where's the victim?"

Mulder remained silent as he turned around and walked back into the alleyway. Scully followed him, thinking about what he said. _A guy who appears to have been squashed to death?_ Scully thought. _Is this some kind of joke?_

Her thoughts were halted when she saw the body. Mulder wasn't kidding; the poor man did seem to have been crushed to death. Whatever killed him was probably extremely powerful, as his body was flat enough that it almost seemed to be two-dimensional. He was surrounded and covered with blood, and Scully was horrified when she thought about how the organs must've suffered under such pressure.

"What's your medical opinion on this, Scully?" Mulder casually asked. Scully shrugged.

"All I know is that this man seems to have been crushed by something extremely big and strong," she replied with uncertainty in her voice.

"Yeah, I had a similar hypothesis," Mulder deadpanned. "I think I know what might have done this."

Scully looked at him. "Yeah?" she asked. "What's your theory, then?"

Mulder gestured to the two houses next to the alley. "The _walls_ , Scully," he replied. "Do you think it's a coincidence that this guy lies crushed between two walls?"

"…What are you saying?" Scully asked as she crossed her arms.

"These walls have crushed him," her partner said. "It makes sense: it explains why he's lying here, all…flat." When Scully gave him an incredulous look, he asked: "You have a better theory?"

"Yeah. I think this guy is lying here because someone didn't want us to find him," Scully dryly said.

"Then how did he get crushed?" Mulder questioned. "Who or what could've been strong _and_ big enough to turn this man into a drawing?"

Scully didn't know the answer to that and remained silent.

From the distance, an unidentified man in a long, black leather jacket averted his gaze from the crime scene and walked away without being noticed.

"We gotta do somethin'."

In a dimly lit room, two figures could barely be seen. The room also contained boxes filled with artifacts that seemed to be ancient. Gold and silver shimmered in the darkness, reflecting the light from a candle, which seemed to be the only light source around.

The second figure shook his head. "No. I've contacted the others, and nobody's seen our master lately. There's simply nothing we _can_ do."

The first figure, who seemed to be a teenager with a slight accent, huffed in annoyance. "So you're just sayin' we sit here 'n wait for him to come to us? I don't feel like gettin' killed anytime soon!"

"Then what do you suggest we should do?" the second figure calmly asked. "We set one foot outside, we're no longer under our master's protection. We'll die immediately."

The first figure opened his mouth to retort, but he knew that his colleague was right. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke.

"Fine. We'll do it your way."

"Patience is the first step of becoming one of us," the second figure said. "You still have much to learn."

The first figure cracked his neck. "Fine, whatever. I'm just not comfortable with so many innocent people dyin'."

The second figure nodded.

"None of us are," he quietly said.


	3. Death and destruction

_Chapter three: Death and destruction_

62-year-old Sam Burton was enjoying a late night stroll around the outskirts of the city. It was currently full moon, and not very dark for a time like this. He was currently walking near the park close to his house, softly humming a tune as he did so.

He was just about to return to his home, when he heard a soft rumbling coming from the sky. He looked at where he thought the noise came from; a giant skyscraper in the middle of the city.

The rumbling returned, louder this time. Sam squinted his eyes in an attempt to get a better look at it, but didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He was about to shrug it off when the rumbling could be heard a third time – much louder.

The man's gaze was fixed on the skyscraper. For a few seconds, nothing seemed to be happening… when the structure suddenly fell over, crashing down on several other buildings, destroying them – and getting destroyed – in the process.

From that moment, screams could be heard everywhere.

Sam was frozen in place, his face shocked. He had never seen anything like this! How many people must've died just now?

"Oh, my…" the man said.

Then, something else happened: Sam was lifted off his feet and thrown into the iron fence surrounding the park by an unseen force. He grunted as his body hit the bars. He then slowly looked up and came face to face with a person who seemingly came out of nowhere.

Most of the figure's face was hidden by a shadow from his hoodie. He wore a long black jacket which seemed to have been burnt and torn. His eyes, which reflected the moonlight, seemed to be fixed on Sam. The figure's disgusting breath found its way into the 62-year-old man's nose, making him nauseous. Then, the figure spoke in a raspy, demonic, definitely male voice.

"Tell my brother who did this."

Then, Sam lost consciousness.

* * *

"So the autopsy didn't help?" Mulder asked through his phone. On the other side of the line, Scully shrugged.

"Aside from a very small amount of alcohol in his blood, there's nothing worth mentioning," she said. "I don't see any reason as to why someone wanted to murder him. Nor do I understand why or how he was killed in this manner." She briefly looked at the autopsy chamber she was in not long ago. "Any luck on your end?" she asked.

"No, but there's been another attack," Mulder responded. "Since there is no evidence that leads us to the killer _and_ the victims have been killed in a similarly absurd way, I suspect this is connected to the case we're investigating."

"Mulder…" Scully said. "You seem to be convinced that these deaths are done by an individual. Maybe they're just accidents. You don't know if there's anyone to blame at all."

"Well, first there's a guy who gets crushed between two walls, and now a giant building has fallen over," Mulder replied. "Don't look like accidents to me."

Scully winced slightly when the fallen skyscraper was mentioned. At least thousands of people died in the incident. The cause was still unexplained; the building was secure and measures had been taken to prevent the very thing that happened last night, so how this happened was a complete mystery.

"I gotta go, Scully," Mulder suddenly said before ending the call. He looked at an officer in the distance, who was talking to a man. Said man seemed to be approximately sixty years old, and appeared to be frantically talking to the officer, likely trying to explain something or get information about the incident. The officer attempted to calmly send the man away, but Mulder could feel the heat of the intensifying conversation increasing. Wanting to know what was going on, Mulder walked up to them.

"Is everything alright here?" he asked. The arguing men turned to him.

The officer shrugged. "Yeah. This guy says he knows who did this."

"No!" the older man said. "I was contacted by someone! I don't know who it was, but he had something to do with all this!"

Mulder looked at the man. He seemed crazy, but there was something about him that made the Federal Agent even more curious. He turned to the officer.

"I'll handle it from here," he said. The officer reluctantly nodded and walked away.

"Just don't listen to everything that old man has to say," he yelled over his shoulder to Mulder. "Pretty sure he's insane."

Mulder ignored that last part and turned to the older man, who was glaring at the officer's back.

"What's your name, sir?" Mulder asked. The other man stopped glaring and turned to him.

"It's Burton, Agent," he responded. "Sam Burton."

"Can you tell me exactly what happened with that person who approached you?" Mulder asked.

Sam swallowed nervously, thinking back to the events that transpired last night.

"Well…" he began. "I was just taking a walk 'round the block. I live on the outskirts of the city, so I saw it all happen from a distance." He swallowed again. "Y-you see, r-right after the building collapsed and all, a guy appeared and threw me into a fence. I couldn't see his face, but he said that I had to 'tell his brother who did this'."

"What did his voice sound like?"

Sam and Mulder turned to the source of the new voice. There, a tall, thin, bald man stood, wearing a long, black leather jacket. He seemed to be around his fifties, and his eyes had an unusual gold color.

"Who are you, if you don't mind me asking?" Mulder asked. The mysterious man looked at him. His face was serene and had a friendly look to it. You'd almost consider him a friend by just glancing at him.

"Armstrong, sir," he politely said as he extended his hand for Mulder to shake. "Roderick Armstrong."

Mulder shook Roderick's hand. "Special Agent Fox Mulder," he introduced himself. "I'm with the FBI. This man here is Sam Burton. He's a witness."

Roderick nodded. "I know." He turned to Sam. "I hope you don't mind me asking you…?"

"No," Sam immediately said. "The man's voice sounded… weird. Raspy and… not human."

The man in the long jacket winced slightly upon hearing that last part. Mulder noticed this, and suspicions for Roderick suddenly arose in his head. _This guy knows something_ he thought. _I better find out what._

Roderick smiled and gave the two other men a friendly nod.

"Thank you," he said. Then, he turned around and left.

"Wait," Mulder said. "Do you know anything that might be of help to us?"

"No," Roderick said over his shoulder. "Sorry."

Mulder's eyes narrowed as he looked at the mysterious man's figure walking away.

 _I'm watching you, Mr. Armstrong_.


	4. The Return

_Chapter four: The Return_

Roderick was taking a walk, scowling as he did so. These murders and disasters lately could only mean one thing. He had seen it happen before, but at the time he had defeated the cause. If only he could destroy it permanently…

He was deep in thought when he suddenly felt a stare pierce him. He looked around, but whoever had been watching him was decent at hiding. Despite this, Roderick knew the spy's identity.

 _Mulder…_

From the moment Roderick had seen the Federal Agent, he sensed that Mulder had the ability to believe. The man had encountered paranormal phenomena before, although not a lot of them were as big as what was happening now. Maybe he deserved to know the truth… but did he deserve the horrifying consequences?

The gold-eyed man continued to walk, until he saw his destination: an alleyway with a small, discretely placed door in the wall. As he kept walking towards it, he could still feel Mulder following him. Even when he entered the alleyway, the Federal Agent didn't stop watching the man.

Roderick pretended not to notice, and walked to the door. Once he was right in front of it, he stopped, raised his hand and knocked. Immediately, voices could be heard inside.

"Who's there?" a man's voice said.

"It's Roderick," Roderick replied.

"Who's Roderick?" a younger voice asked.

"I don't know anybody who goes by the name Roderick," the first voice calmly said. "If you've got nothing important to mention to us, sir, I suggest you leave."

Roderick stayed calm. Of course, they never knew his human alias.

"I'm not going anywhere, Mr. Lawrence," he said through the door. "It's been over four thousand years or so since I've been in this world."

He barely needed his abilities to sense the atmosphere change. He could feel Mulder's confusion and slight shock from a distance. From behind the door, there was a tense silence.

Then, the first voice spoke again.

"It can't be…"

"Could you please open the door?" Roderick politely asked.

The door opened, revealing a man with gray eyes and white hair. He looked shocked upon seeing Roderick, his breath stopping. Behind him stood a younger fellow who seemed to be in his teens, looking confused.

It was silent for approximately twenty seconds.

Then, the yellow-eyed man spoke up once more.

"Can I come in?" he asked. "Also, there's no need to look so shocked. And before you say anything, don't call me master, alright? Just consider me to be like you. Call me Roderick."

Upon hearing that, the man who opened the door regained his senses. He blinked.

"Uh… yeah, sure. Come in," he said as he stepped aside, allowing Roderick to enter the room.

The man in the long jacket smiled. "Thank you, Callum," he said as he walked in. He looked at the younger man, who had taken a seat, still confused.

"And you must be Tyler, the Knight in training," he guessed.

"Depends who's askin'," Tyler replied.

Roderick smiled and held out a hand. "Name's Roderick Armstrong. But you can call me Ra."

 _What on Earth did that mean?_ Mulder thought as he saw Roderick walk through the door. The man looked about fifty years old, possibly younger, and he just revealed that he 'hadn't been in this world for over four thousand years', whatever that meant. Regardless, Mulder had to know what he was talking about with whoever else was there.

The Federal Agent cautiously entered the alley and snuck to the door, making sure that nobody noticed him. Once he was close enough, he listened to the conversation.

"-seems that my brother struck again recently." Roderick's voice, no doubt about it.

"So… what does he want?" a much younger voice asked. "What's with the killin'? I mean, this is Apophis we're talkin' about, but…"

"I believe," Roderick said, "that he wants to challenge me for what happened those four thousand years ago."

Then, an older, deeper voice spoke up. "But how was he able to escape from his prison? And wasn't his imprisonment supposed to teach him humility?"

"That…" Roderick replied, "…was just a possible outcome. I wasn't sure how he'd react to it, but it looks like it only made him angrier."

"So, what're we goin' to do?" the teenager asked.

Roderick was heard standing up and walking towards the door.

"First, we gotta welcome our guest," he said.

Then, he opened the door, revealing Mulder on the other side.

"Come in, Agent Mulder, and we'll tell you the truth about what's going on here."


	5. Calm before the storm

_Chapter five: Calm before the storm_

Scully was in Mulder's office, digging through the piles of X-files in an attempt to find anything about mysterious deaths involving people getting crushed to death and mass destruction caused by falling buildings. She had little luck finding what she was looking for, however, and she was becoming quite frustrated.

Her attention was averted when the door to the office opened, revealing her boss, Assistant Director Walter Skinner, on the other side. His stern gaze immediately went from Scully to the mess of files surrounding her, giving his employee a questioning look.

An awkward silence fell.

After a few seconds, Skinner let his voice be heard.

"You can stop looking for clues, Agent Scully," he said. "Agent Mulder is here with people who may be able to provide answers."

Scully gave her boss an incredulous look as she stood up. "Who could possibly know about what caused these incidents?" she asked. "Scientifically, I saw nothing wrong with the skyscraper's security measures."

Skinner frowned. "From what I heard, the cause was a 'who', not a 'what'", he replied. "It doesn't make much sense, but it's our only lead." His voice darkened. "Thousands of people died in the skyscraper incident. Any lead to ensure this never happens again is worth taking."

* * *

Scully entered the hallway outside the office where Mulder was sitting with three other men.

One of them appeared to be in his fifties. He was taller than Mulder, thin and bald. His eyes were and unusual gold/yellow. He wore a long, black leather jacket and black shoes. His face seemed generally friendly.

Another man, possibly in his sixties, had a stoic look on his face. He had white hair, gray eyes and an above average athletic body. He wore regular clothing, although it was somewhat dirty.

The third one was rather young, definitely in his late teens and early twenties. He had messy brown hair and piercing green eyes. His clothing consisted of a gray T-shirt, a brown leather jacket, dark blue jeans and mountaineering boots. His clothing was also slightly dirty.

"Are these the men who are supposed to give us a clue about what is causing these incidents?" Scully asked Mulder with a slightly skeptic tone.

"Scully…" Mulder said, "…this case goes far deeper than either of us expected. These men have told me everything and proved their claims."

"Does their explanation involve a man strong enough to push a skyscraper off balance and move a house back and forth?" Scully asked, still skeptical.

"Pretty much," Mulder deadpanned. Then, the man with golden eyes suddenly spoke.

"Maybe we should take a walk while we explain everything," he said. "Our conversation will stay more private that way."

The others agreed.

* * *

"So, Scully…" Mulder began as they were walking. "I'll try to explain this as quick as possible."

"Go ahead", his partner said.

"Alright," Mulder began. "This man…" he gestured to the gold-eyed man, "…is who we know as the Ancient Egyptian god of the sun; Ra."

Scully gave him a skeptic look. "Well, that's not something I hear every day," she drily said.

Mulder continued. "These incidents were caused by his brother Apophis, the snake demon and the god of dark forces. Four thousand years ago, Ra imprisoned him. Now he's back, wanting revenge. Jason Valdez's murder was his first attempt to draw Ra's attention. When that worked, he caused the incident with the skyscraper in order to challenge his brother to a duel." He gestured to the teenager and the older man. "These two are members of a group of knights that served Ra. It just barely survived after the Ancient Egyptian gods left."

Scully's skeptic look returned with a vengeance after hearing that. It took a few seconds before she responded.

"And how are you so sure?" she asked. "Besides, how are they going to fight if Ra is active during the day and Apophis during the night? Something like that was in the myths, right?"

That's when the man with gold eyes, who was apparently Ra, joined the conversation.

"I'll be able to face him at dusk," he said. "Between day and night, so to speak."

"If you want your proof, Scully…" Mulder said, "You'll get to see it tonight."


	6. Repeating history

_Chapter six: Repeating history_

Apophis growled in anger and triumph. After causing the incident with the skyscraper, his brother had to come looking for him. It was payback time. Time for retribution.

The demon of dark forces still remembered that day when he was imprisoned in that cursed coffin. He had been in that thing for so long, causing his already deep hatred for Ra to intensify. The god of the sun always had a soft spot for humans, so now that some of them were dead he should be pretty pissed off.

Apophis, on the other hand, never liked humans. Those inferior creatures were masters of self-destruction, cursing him and the other gods as they went. According to Ra, the Ancient Egyptian gods should use their power for helping mankind. Because they were more powerful than humans, _they_ should be an example to them of how to use power.

The snake demon always disagreed. He thought that humans should either learn from their past or be exterminated. And since they won't do the former, Apophis had tried to take care of the latter. He failed, however, when Ra got in his way. The sun god was too powerful, being able to seal his brother away to make sure he'd never try it again.

In the coffin, Apophis managed to contact Anubis, the god of the Underworld. He, and some of the other gods, apparently agreed with the snake demon's ideas. Ra and the gods that were still on his side were too powerful to defeat now, so Apophis' group had been waiting for them to avert their gaze from this world. The rebels, including Anubis, later abandoned the plan, however, leaving Apophis and Ra alone here to fight their own battle.

And fight they would.

* * *

"It is dusk," Callum said as he looked through the window. He, Mulder, Scully, Tyler and Ra were currently sitting at a table in a café. It was a calm evening, and the mall was already getting deserted. Only a few people could still be seen outside.

Ra sighed. Despite his usually calm demeanor, the others could tell that he was getting nervous. They couldn't blame him. He was about to face his hostile brother whom he locked away four thousand years earlier. He was also weaker, because the other gods had left him to fight Apophis on his own. He had beaten the snake demon before, but that was when their power levels had a huge difference. The sun god himself hadn't gotten any weaker. Even during nighttime, he was pretty powerful. Apophis allowed his captivity to fuel his anger and hatred, which in turn amplified his power. It was how he managed to escape from his prison in the first place.

"Let's go, then," he finally said as he stood up. The others followed suit.

* * *

Ra knew where to find his opponent. He could sense it, somehow. The two gods always had some kind of connection, likely due to their brotherhood. Apophis was no longer hiding now that it was time for their battle.

At the end of a block, Ra turned right, revealing a deserted intersection. No cars could be seen and the buildings on the sides appeared to have been abandoned. The entire atmosphere changed right then and there.

Only one figure was visible.

They stood in the middle of the intersection, where the four roads met. The person was wearing long black jacket, not unlike Ra's. Said jacket also had a hoodie which cast a shadow over his face, and was burnt and torn in several places. They also wore black pants, gloves and mountaineering boots.

Even from that distance, the group could see the reflection of the dim moonlight in the person's eyes.

Mulder immediately reached for his gun when Ra stopped him, causing the Federal Agent to stand down.

"That's him, isn't it…" Mulder said. Ra nodded.

"Wait here," the sun god said. "I can't risk your lives. You wouldn't stand a chance against him," he added before Callum could protest.

Ra looked his brother in the eyes and walked towards him.

Then, Apophis spoke up.

"Your love for humans is still beyond me," he said with a demonic voice. "But that doesn't matter now."

Ra responded, still walking towards the snake demon. "No, I guess it doesn't," he said with a sad smile. "I still can't understand how different we can be, despite the fact that we're brothers." He put his hands up in a pacifying manner. "What are the possibilities of reconciliation between us?"

Apophis snarled. "So _now_ you want to talk about peace?" he scoffed.

"You know you left me no choice last time," Ra reasoned. "I couldn't just let you exterminate an entire race." He stopped walking when he was about two meters away from the god of dark forces, putting his hands back at his sides. "You keep saying they're too flawed, but we're not perfect either. Flawed races still have a right to live."

"That's like saying that criminals have a right to be free," Apophis growled. "Yet you locked me in that coffin for four millennia."

"Death and security are two very different things," Ra argued. "Nobody has the right to take a life. That includes us. Even if humans aren't perfect."

"Says who? You?" Apophis aggressively shot back. "If you're willing to make peace with me, let me finish what I started."

A sad sigh escaped Ra's throat and he closed his eyes. He was hoping that it wouldn't come to this. That he wouldn't have to fight his brother again. That the snake demon would have learned to see reason. But it seems like there was little choice.

"Have it your way," the sun god said as looked back at Apophis with a hardened glare.

The following seconds, nothing seemed to happen between the two other than an intense staring match. Scully looked at Mulder, who was looking at the clash between the two Ancient Egyptian gods. Callum and Tyler were following Mulder's example.

It was only when the ground began to shake lightly that Scully looked back at the hostile brothers. While the four humans attempted to keep their balance, Ra and Apophis barely seemed bothered by the vibration.

The light shaking quickly became more and more potent, eventually turning into some kind of earthquake. None of the surrounding buildings were even showing signs of collapsing, however. The two gods still didn't seem fazed, continuing what seemed to be a staring contest.

Then, the sun and moon became more potent as well, their light becoming brighter and brighter quickly. The ground was shaking so much that Callum and Tyler lost their balance, soon followed by the two Special Agents.

Mulder could barely see the two gods by now. The earthquake and the still increasing light from the celestial bodies were messing with his vision, having already limited his sight to a near minimum.

As the light eventually engulfed his eyes, he was forced to close them. He felt wind, he heard thunder and then…

Nothing.

* * *

 **Jean d'Arc:** _Yeah, I may have subconsciously slightly based this on some Stargate stuff. Though I always had an interest in ancient mythology (not specifically Ancient Egyptian), and thought that it would fit an X-Files story well. Anyway, your idea about making a crossover is good, and I may make one in the future. Not before my other stories are finished, though._


	7. Epilogue - Case closed

_Epilogue – Case closed_

 _…_

Silence was all he heard.

 _Mulder…_

Darkness was all he saw.

 _He's waking up._

Nothing was all he felt.

 _Mulder._

There was… a sliver of light visible in the nothingness he saw.

 _Mulder, wake up._

A calm voice pierced the silence.

 _He'll be fine._

He felt something soft underneath him.

 _Mulder?_

Fox Mulder's eyes slowly cracked open, revealing a nurse on the left side on his bed and a rather tired-looking Scully on a chair on his right. The room was white and had little furniture, and Mulder's arm was connected to an infusion pump.

Mulder slowly sat up, somewhat confused. He slightly shook his head before giving Scully a questioning look.

"Scully?" he asked. "What happened?"

Scully sighed tiredly. "We passed out during the fight," she said. "Ra and Apophis are gone and there's no evidence whatsoever about what really happened the past few days except for the murders and the skyscraper incident."

Mulder swore under his breath as he held his head in his hands with eyes closed. "No evidence about Ra? About the Ancient Egyptian gods? What about Callum and Tyler?"

"Callum and Tyler remember everything," Scully replied. "And they'll do whatever they can to keep their order alive and secret." She sighed again as Mulder groaned in disappointment.

"Mulder…" she continued. "I think that might be for the best. Imagine how the world would react if beings as powerful as Ra and Apophis were to reveal themselves."

"The same thing could be said about aliens," Mulder said. "But I still intend to bring their existence to the light." He looked at Scully. "Ra and Apophis might still be alive. And I believe that if we search hard enough, we will find them."

* * *

Mulder was back in his good old office, throwing pencils to the ceiling with his feet on his desk and a bored look on his face. He absolutely, for a lack of a better word, hated how things always play out at the end of a case like this. He finds evidence, sees the truth, only for it to slip out of his hands. Whether it was because of this mysterious conspiracy surrounding some cases or just his luck varied each time.

"Agent Mulder!"

The Federal Agent in question quickly stood up when Skinner sternly called his name from the doorway. His boss approached him and his desk with his usual stern expression. He didn't seem to notice the pencils sticking in the ceiling and kept eye contact with Mulder, who was hoping that the older man wouldn't look up.

"Mulder," Skinner continued. "Out of all reports I've gotten from you, your most recent one was the most…" he fell silent as he saw the pencils above Mulder, who was standing innocently behind his desk, still looking at the Assistant Director in his usual, formal way.

After a few seconds, Skinner broke the silence, pretending not to have seen anything that involved pencils, ceilings or property damage in the Federal Agent's office.

"Your most recent one was the most unconvincing," he went on. When Mulder remained silent, Skinner resumed his speech in a more reprimanding manner. "It says things about Ancient gods using magical powers to imprison other gods or trying to commit genocide." He practically threw the reports he was talking about on the desk in front of him.

"I think you're going to need a few days off, Agent Mulder."

Mulder opened his mouth to protest. He wasn't crazy. He didn't need a day off. He-

No sound came from his vocal cords, however, as he thought about the last few days and what happened recently. He wasn't questioning what he saw – he, Scully, Tyler and Callum never could've hallucinated the exact same things, could they? – but maybe taking a day off wasn't such a terrible idea. It had been a long ride.

"Alright, sir," he eventually said to Skinner's surprise.

* * *

"I can't see anything here that indicates that there's ever been an earthquake," Scully announced. She and Mulder were back at the intersection where the fight between the two gods had taken place, just to be sure. Indeed, there was nothing out of the ordinary.

If anything, the place looked a lot better than when they first arrived. When Ra and Apophis were about to fight, the surrounding buildings looked old and abandoned. There had been a roaring silence and an almost tangible sense of solitude at the time. Now, people were walking and talking like one would expect in a place like that. The buildings even looked as if they had been renovated recently.

Yet at the same time, the two Agents were sure that this was where they saw the gods fight.

"Me neither," Mulder admitted. He looked at his partner. "I guess this is it, then," he said. "Of course those gods wouldn't make a mistake of leaving evidence behind. That's what they're gods for."

Scully sighed. "Let's just leave, Mulder. There's simply nothing to look for here."

"You're right," Mulder acknowledged. However, as he turned to leave, he saw some kind of brightening light out of the corner of his eye.

He quickly looked, seeing nothing.

When he turned back, he saw that Scully was already walking away. He himself started wandering, intending to catch up with her.

For the first time in his life, however, he couldn't shake the feeling that someone – or something – was watching over him. Protecting him.

He was sure that he had seen the sun release a brief wave of light in his peripheral vision, despite nobody else reacting…

…

It doesn't matter. Case closed.

* * *

 **Thank you for taking your time to read this story. Jean D'Arc, your reviews gave me some much-needed additional motivation. Thank you!**

 **Sorry for making a somewhat low-quality epilogue, but it doesn't really include anything too relevant. Also, I was a bit tired and didn't want to take too long to finish this.**

 **Lastly, I'd like to announce that I'm currently working on a Chzo Mythos / Consuming Shadow story, for those who are interested. It involves supernatural phenomena, magic and more ancient gods trying to invade this world. If you're interested…**

 **~TheFrankMaster**


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